Uncertain Futures
by siredbysalvatore
Summary: When Hayley dies in childbirth, Klaus wants nothing to do with his child. Elijah takes on the role of finding someone to care for the baby and sees no better couple than Damon and Elena to raise it. This story follows the journey of Damon and Elena through parenthood, along with all the mysteries of what a hybrid child contains.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Yeah," Damon said into his cell, a pained expression on his face. "I'll let them know." He looked towards Elena and Caroline, who were sitting on the bed looking at him anxiously. They were all waiting at the boarding house to hear for news on the birth of Klaus and Hayley's child. He snapped it shut and took a deep breath.

"Well, the baby's okay. It's a girl,"

"And?" Caroline interrupted. "What else?"

"I'm getting there," He snapped back. "Hayley didn't make it through. She died giving birth."

"What?" Caroline's jaw dropped and tears filled Elena's eyes, she looked away sadly. Caroline continued, "How could they let her die? Klaus didn't do anything did he? He didn't want that baby I knew it!" She said, accusation in her tone. She of all people was not fond of Hayley, but even she sounded distressed by the news.

"Why would Klaus kill his kid's mom? That would be more work for him." Damon seemed almost unfazed by the death of the werewolf, but he took one look at Elena and put his arm around her shoulder, trying to comfort her. "Hey, it'll be okay, the baby's alright, yeah? Look at the bright side."

"She died, Damon, that little girl isn't going to have a mother!" She cried out. She took a deep breath and rested her head on his shoulder. She remembered her own mother and tears threatened to spill again. "We have to go over there. Maybe we can do something," She hopped up from the bed, wiping her tears and started grabbing some clothes and a suitcase.

"Elena, hold on, let's think about this for a second," Damon reasoned with her.

"Yeah, Elena there's nothing we can do." Caroline chipped in. Her and Damon locked eyes for a moment, it wasn't often they actually agreed on something.

"Sure there is, there's always something, we could watch the kid, we could- we could…" She trailed off, thinking of things to bring. "We can stop by your house Care, pick up your things."

"Why do I have to go!" She objected. "I really don't want to see Klaus right now," She growled through her teeth. Elena knew it bothered her that Klaus had slept with Hayley, and the pregnancy was the only way she found out.

"You're coming, and you are too!" She turned to Damon, who just shrugged and slid off the bed, grabbing his keys on the dresser on his way downstairs.

"I'll be in the car," He sighed, and Elena heard the front door shut. She finished throwing some things into the suitcase and closed it up to haul it downstairs.

"You coming?" She paused at the door, looking to Caroline who was deep in thought still on the bed.

"Oh, yeah, I'm right behind you." She shook her head and followed Elena down the stairs. They packed themselves in the car and drove down the driveway. Elena was silent as she stared out the window. Damon glanced at her and frowned.

** "**Next stop, New Orleans, girls." He slid on his sunglasses. "This should be interesting."

* * *

_Sorry for the short first chapter! I almost have the second done, and it's much better. Please rate, It'd make my day!_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Elena had been sleeping when they arrived at the apartment. Damon rubbed her knee as he pulled into the garage. "Morning, sunshine," He smirked at her. She yawned and turned around.

"Caroline, we're here," She mumbled and rubbed at her eyes. She grabbed her bag and unbuckled her seatbelt.

"Hooray." Caroline muttered sarcastically and stretched. "Hey, can I just sleep here? I didn't sleep a lot last night and I'd much rather-"

"Nice try, Care, you're coming." Elena cut her off. No matter what, she was determined to do something to help the child. Maybe it was just that her and the baby had something in common, no mother, but whatever the case was, she was willing to do whatever she could.

"Can't blame a girl for trying," Caroline said under her breath and the three of them got out of the car.

"So who's all here? More importantly, who's with the baby?" Elena asked as they walked through the doors of the complex.

"Not too sure," Damon looked for an elevator and walked towards the first one he saw. "I'm sure Elijah's somewhere around, but Klaus might have hightailed it out of here. I don't know who's taking care of the kid."

They wordlessly continued up to the 6th floor and got out of the elevator. Thoughts stormed through Elena's head as some butterflies fluttered in the pit of her stomach. She had no idea what to expect; what do you even feed a hybrid baby, milk or blood? Does it have speed and fangs? Can it suck blood?

"Room 613," Damon muttered under his breath, and they found the room quickly. He knocked on the door as Caroline slinked behind him, clearly wishing she wasn't there.

"Door's open," A crisp feminine voice called, with a twinge of exasperation.

"What's Rebekah doing here?" Elena asked, but Damon only shrugged as he opened the door and led the way inside. Caroline groaned, not happy she had to deal with more of her least favorite people today. Elijah greeted them as they walked in with a brisk nod and led them to the couch where Rebekah was unhappily feeding a bottle of blood to a tiny bundle of blankets.

"Thank goodness," She sighed in relief, and practically shoved the child into Elena's arms. "I've been doing this all day and I'm in need of some alcohol. Have fun with that." She retreated out of the apartment.

Elena repositioned herself with the baby, and shot a glare at the closing door. "Thanks," she snapped sarcastically, but returned her attention to the little girl who was falling asleep. "She's so cute," Elena said softly and smiled down at her, but then picked up her head and looked around. "Where's Klaus?" She asked Elijah.

He sighed and looked at her with remorse. "He fled as soon as he heard she was dead. He said he wanted nothing to do with the child." Elijah actually looked furious in his calm, collected way. He kept looking at Elena with a knowing look.

Elena glanced at Damon quizzically then back at Elijah. "What?" She narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"Caroline," Elijah ignored her. "Would you mind going to find my sister and make sure she isn't half-way back to Mystic Falls?" Caroline, who had been relieved that Klaus wasn't here but still kept quiet, looked up.

"What? Why me!" She whined. "I don't see why I have to go babysit her."

"Caroline," Elijah warned, glancing at her with fierce eyes. "Please." She threw up her arms and

left the apartment, and he turned his attention back to Elena and Damon.

"Now, I need to talk to you two about something." He cleared his throat and motioned for Elena to sit on the couch with the child. As soon as she got comfortable he continued. "As you could guess, Niklaus isn't the best choice for a guardian of a baby. I had asked Rebekah but she, of course, was rather... reluctant as well."

Elena looked at him with suspicion and made eye contact with Damon who shrugged back at her. "What are you saying?"

"You seem to be very motherly," Elijah went on. Taking a breath as to prepare for something. "You're one of the most selfless vampires I have ever met. I think you should be the one to take care of this child."

"Oh no, no way," Damon laughed and shook his head. "You can't just throw a baby at her and ask her to take care of it on her own."

"Good I'm glad you agree she should have help because I'm actually asking both of you to raise her." Elijah looked at both of them in complete seriousness while the pair looked back at him in shock.

Damon's face turned stone-hard. "No way in hell." He growled. "Simple as that. In my opinion you should just dispose of it."

"Damon!" Elena cried out, and Elijah turned his attention back to her.

"What do you think, anyway, Elena, you've been very quiet." She looked at him then looked at the baby.

"I- I don't know," She muttered and looked back up at Damon.

"The witches will help you," Elijah went on. "She just needs parents who can treat her normally. You have a very strong maternal instinct, Elena. I think you'd make a perfect mother. As for you Damon," He turned to him. "You're not the perfect father figure but I'll work with what I have. Sophie," He called into the other room.

The girl walked in before him, her look expressionless. She flashed a quick look around to Elena and Damon, and finally the baby, who was beginning to wake up.

"This is the witch that will help you," Elijah continued. "We know very little about the child, as she is the first hybrid ever to be born, as far as we know."

Elena looked up at the witch and then searched for the bottle of blood Rebecca had. Damon handed her the bottle that was sitting on the counter.

"Thanks," she mumbled, and set to work feeding the baby, who calmed down considerably.

"Thank you Sophie," Elijah dismissed the witch, who hadn't said a word. "Well?" he looked to Elena and Damon, smiling because he knew he had won. "What do you

say?"

Elena looked up. "We don't even have a crib, and the boarding house is most definitely not baby safe..."

"Not a problem," Elijah interrupted, grinning. "I'm sending someone down there now."

"No, no no!" Damon crossed his arms and glared at him. "Call them now, and cancel. Don't even think about touching my house."

"Too late, I'm afraid. Alright, Elena's call. What do you say, love?" Elijah turned to Elena, ignoring Damon, who threw up his arms and rolled his eyes in defeat.

"Um, well," She shifted the baby's weight in her arms thoughtfully and sighed. "Yes, fine. I'll do it." A smile appeared on her face as the little girl gurgled and opened her big brown eyes. She had her mother's eyes. Elena didn't even know Hayley, but her heart panged for her.

"Wonderful," Elijah smiled, and got up, clapping his hands together in success. "Do you want help getting in the car?"

Just as he said this, Caroline walked in, Rebecca trailing grumpily behind her. "Why do we need help getting in the car?" She asked suspiciously.

"We're gaining a family member." Damon muttered sarcastically. "The baby's coming home with us."

Caroline's jaw dropped and she was about to protest but then closed her mouth. She walked slowly up to Elena and got a better look at the little girl. At the sight of the little bundle, her face lightened with a smile. She shifted her glance up at Elena. "Are you sure about this?"

Elena nodded and gave a reluctant smile. "I guess I have to be."

The four of them made their way to the car and Elena stopped a few feet before.

"What's wrong?" Damon asked, rushing to her side. He put his hand on the small of her back, and it sent chills through her body.

"Uh," She stuttered. "We don't have a car seat." Elena shifted the babies weight uncomfortably. She wasn't used to carrying around a baby properly, and she was actually really nervous of doing something wrong.

"Caroline," Damon called to the blonde vampire, who was trying to sneak her way into the car unnoticed. "You're on baby duty for the ride home."

Caroline stomped her foot and groaned. "The whole way?" She whined.

"No, half the way we can strap it to the roof," He snapped sarcastically. Elena deposited the baby in Caroline's arms gratefully.

"Thanks, Care," She stretched her arms and got into the passenger seat. "I'll take her back in a few minutes." In the car, Elena was silent again. This time, she wasn't sleeping, but thinking about her decision to take the baby.

'What have I done,' She thought. So far, Damon was less than thrilled and Caroline was already against the idea. 'I made the wrong choice.' She looked out the window and sighed. She knew no one else would have cared for it. Maybe it was a better idea to let Elijah decide what to do without her and Damon as foster parents.

From the back, she could hear Caroline murmuring quietly to the infant, who was starting to cry. "Shhh, you're okay, Aunt Caroline is right here," She soothed.

The corners of Elena's mouth picked up in a slight smile. Maybe this wouldn't be as hard afterall.

* * *

_Thanks everyone! For the great reviews! I'm working on making my chapters longer, this is my second fanfic so I'm kind of new at this! :) _

_Yes, I will be adding some Klaroline down the storyline. Please review, it definitely inspires me to keep on writing!_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

As she entered the house, Elena awkwardly walked around with the little girl, though none of them seemed to know what to do with themselves. Caroline began to pace and Damon situated himself in front of his booze.

"Well..." Caroline started, crossing her arms over her chest. "What do we do now?"

"Call your mom," Damon called from the kitchen, in the midst of pouring some bourbon. "She's going to take the baby. She's a mom after all."

"What?! No!" She squealed, and stormed in the kitchen in anger. Elena followed her, rolling her eyes in frustration. "My mom doesn't know how to deal with a vampire, she hasn't even had a baby in the house in over 18 years! Plus, we don't even know what a hybrid baby could do. She could get hurt."

She had a point, Elena thought. They really knew nothing about the baby. A witch is a huge help, and the likeliness of Sheriff Forbes accepting help from a witch was not very high. She still seemed to be wary of the supernatural.

"Yeah, well Elena's barely 18. She doesn't know how to take care of a baby either." Damon continued, sipping at his drink.

"Damon, I can handle it-"

"You just had to deal with every emotion in the world crashing down on you, Elena." He slammed down his drink in frustration. "No way are you even close to being stable enough to take a baby. Blondie here can take care of it." He nodded to Caroline, and shot her a glare when she was about to protest.

"No," Elena said firmly. "I don't care if you don't want to be involved, Damon, but this baby has no one else fit to take care of it. Caroline will help me, but Elijah asked me to do it."

Damon sighed and shot her a pained expression, and Elena immediately regretted her choice of words. She knew that's not what he meant and that Damon just wanted what was best for her.

"Fine," He said quietly, getting up and grabbing the bourbon. "It's your choice anyway." He walked up the steps with his drink, shooting a vampire, bloody-eyed glare at one of the construction workers who passed him. The worker, a younger guy, backed up against the wall in fear.

"Leave him alone, Damon," Caroline muttered without even glancing up. For a split second, Elena worried about whether they were compelled or not, then she realized she didn't even care. She had too much on her mind already.

"Look, 'Lena," Caroline murmured compassionately, completely dismissing the worker and Damon, who had angrily plodded up the steps. "He'll come around, I'm sure. Stefan can help and-" She fell silent and blew her breath out in sadness. Stefan wasn't coming back and they both knew it. He had left the second Elena made it clear that her heart belonged to Damon.

"It's okay, Caroline." Elena smiled weakly. "I can do this. I'm sure it won't be that difficult." She got up and frowned down at the infant. Of course, she thought to herself. She had forgotten the most important thing. "Where is she going to sleep?"

"I'm sure we have a baby cradle somewhere." Caroline tried. She was about to pull out her cell to call her mom when Jeremy walked through the front door loudly.

"Hey, what's with all the construction workers?" He called inside before hearing both girls shush him angrily. "Sorry," He whispered, and narrowed his eyes in question. "Uh, who's baby is that?"

Elena looked to Caroline for help. "It was Hayley's," She said quietly and looked down. "She died in childbirth. Elijah asked Elena to raise it."

Jeremy raised his eyebrows in surprise. "And Damon agreed?"

Elena groaned. "Why does everyone assume Damon makes my decisions for me?"

"Sorry," Jeremy shrugged, taken aback by her attitude towards him. "It's just that you just went through your emotions coming back and-"

"Well I'm over it." She sighed and said calmly. "I have to move on with my life and what better way to do it. Look, vampires can't have children. This is a chance at normal life. We can raise a child."

"It's not going to be normal, Elena," Caroline pointed out quietly. "It's going to be hard."

"I'll make it work." Elena said abruptly. "I'm going to go figure out a room. Can you take her?" She asked Caroline.

"Of course," The blonde vampire took the baby in her arms and gave Elena a smile. "You need a break." Jeremy walked over and smiled down at the infant, tucking an edge of the blanket under her tiny chin.

Elena looked back and sighed as she walked up the steps to find somewhere for the girl to sleep, knowing Damon would never want a baby in their bedroom. As she passed their room, she heard Damon talking away on his cell, pacing the room in thought.

"Yes, I need a crib for an infant." Elena heard some chatter on the other end.

"And anything else a baby might need." More chatter, then a frustrated Damon.

"I don't know, you're the experts!" Damon pressed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, and turned towards the door. He caught Elena's eyes and winked at her, smiling apologetically. Everything about his expression said he was trying for her, and she knew that. She came up to him as he was talking and wrapped her arms around his waist. He didn't even flinch when they put him on hold.

Seizing the opportunity, she pushed off on her tip-toes and whispered in his ear: "You'll make a great Dad, Damon."

He kissed her on her forehead and wrapped an arm around her back. "I'll try," He murmured. "For you."

**1 week later**

The crying of the baby had Elena getting up and dragging herself to the crib on the other side of the room. It had only taken a few minutes of pleading to get Damon to let her keep the baby's crib in their bedroom.

"Miranda,"She cooed softly, smiling at the name they had decided on for the little girl. Her mother's name; Damon was the one that suggested it.

She picked up the baby gently and rocked it carefully, going into the next room to heat up a milk bottle. Damon had set up a small stove and fridge so she wouldn't have to go all the way downstairs when the Miranda got hungry.

And exhausted Damon trailed behind her sleepily and leaned on the doorframe as he watched her make the bottle. "I can do it," He yawned and beat her to the fridge, grabbing a bottle and preheating the stove.

"Thanks," Elena said softly, smiling up at him gratefully. But something pulled on her heart every time he did something for her.

It was never for Miranda; it was always for Elena.

She knew Damon meant well, and was completely unprepared for caring for a baby. Yet she still was haunted by her decision. She was so happy to care for the precious little girl, but her heart went out to Damon, who struggled with the new responsibility. But he did it for her. He did it all for Elena.

He handed the bottle to Elena and led the way back to their room, patting the bed next to him as he sat down and propped up a pillow to lean on.

"You're a great mother," He told her as she sat down carefully. She frowned as she fed the baby and wished she could say that he made a great father.

"But we're not actually her parents." She said quietly.

"She'll see you as her mom," He assured her quickly. She went silent in thought.

"You're not happy," She said softly after a while, looking up at him through her hair, which fell down over her face.

He sighed and looked away. "I just wasn't prepared for all of this. A lot has been going on lately." He patted her leg and looked up at her.

"I know," She tried a half-smile uncomfortably and leaned her head back on the bed board. "This is so... different."

Damon let out a breathy chuckle and folded his arms behind his head. "That's a good word." The tip of his mouth folded up in a smirk that send butterflies fluttering through her stomach. She banished them from her mind and grew serious again.

"Do you think we can do this?" Elena whispered softly, her brown eyes looking up at him as she held the Miranda close.

He drew out his breath and looked at the ceiling for a minute before looking down at her with his crystal blue eyes. "Yes," He said, leaning over and kissing her forehead. "I do."

* * *

_So I'm not a huge fan of this chapter, it kind of skipped time in a weird way. But I hope you like it all the same! Reviews get the chapters up quicker ;) Been going through some rough times with my horse, so the next chapter may come up a bit slow :( sorry!_

_Tell me what you think! 3_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Time skip of 1 year.

Elena bobbed Miranda up and down on her hip, making the baby giggle. She smiled down at the little girl and picked her head up sensing someone behind her. She jumped as she turned to see Damon smirking at them both.

"Damon," she groaned, trying not to laugh. "I hate when you do that." Elena tried to sound angry. But one look at the laughing, squirmy baby in her arms, and she couldn't contain the grin to spring across her face.

"What?" He pouted, attempting to look as innocent as he could. "I can't watch my beautiful girlfriend and little princess play?" He exchanged his playful frown for a smile as he tickled Miranda under the chin. Elena sighed with content. A few months ago, he had made himself scarce whenever she had Miranda in her arms. But lately, she'd seen him sneak beside her crib and smile down at the child as he stroked her hair in her sleep. The thought of him being an even better father than she could have asked for made her heart flutter with happiness.

A knock on the door made Damon drop his hand and narrow his eyes at the entrance. "I'll get it," He muttered, his mood cold again. Elena sighed, once anyone was around to see him with them, he dropped everything and resumed his look of unhappiness. The only place he could let himself be content was at home, alone with Elena and Miranda.

Damon opened the door to see Sophie, the witch who had been checking up on them recently. She stormed through the doorway in her collected way, but one look on her face showed both fear and nervousness. She brushed past Damon and made a beeline right for Elena and the baby.

"Nice to see you, too," he mumbled sarcastically, but she ignored him.

"What's wrong Sophie?" Elena narrowed her eyes with concern and held Miranda closer. The witch seemed distant and unfocused, but avoided the subject for the time being.

"Uh, well, how's she doing?" She nodded to the baby, who was fussing in Elena's arms. "Everything normal?"

"Well she's been biting me on accident recently, not bad enough to break skin, but her fangs have been coming out. But really what's wrong?"

Sophie ignored the last question and pressed on hurriedly. "Y-you've been bottle feeding her blood and milk s-separately?"

Elena nodded and put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Tell me now. What's going on?"

The witch sighed. "Klaus is coming back."

Elena's heart dropped straight down to her stomach. Did he want the baby back? He couldn't take her away, could he? The look on her face sent Damon rushing over.

"Klaus is nothing to worry about Elena," He steadied her by placing his hands gently on her shoulders. "He won't take Miranda. I won't let him, okay?"

She nodded but wasn't convinced, and held the child closer to her. Miranda squirmed from the overprotectiveness she was recieving and tears welled up in her eyes as she began to cry.

"Why does he want to come back?" Elena's voice cracked a little, and she gave Miranda a pacifier to calm her down.

"I'm not sure," Sophie looked down, clearly nervous. After all, Klaus was there when Marcel killed her sister. She obviously wasn't entirely trusting of him yet. After he abandoned his child, it just made things worse. "But we will keep her safe, Elena."

"Don't worry about it now." Damon brushed off any fear he may have shown. "Let's just keep living our lives normally until the time comes." He smiled at her reassuringly. A blonde head of hair walked through the door and the three of them turned to look at her.

"Oh, goodie," Damon rolled his eyes. "Caroline, what a pleasure." She ignored him.

"Until what time comes?" She asked suspiciously, eying the witch. "What's happening?"

Elena shifted Miranda onto her other hip uncomfortably, but shook her head when Sophie offered to take her. "Um, Klaus is..." She started, not quite sure how to tell her friend that her least favorite person would be showing up sometime soon. "Coming back to Mystic Falls."

Caroline's jaw dropped. "You're kidding me right?" She crinkled her nose and growled to herself in frustration. Rage fluttered in her eyes.

"Nope," Damon replied, he flared his eyes and moved towards the drinks. He'd been cutting back on the alcohol since Elena told him it wasn't good for him to be drinking around the baby, but today was an exception.

Caroline threw up her hands and sat on the couch in defeat. "I am not looking forward to this."

"Neither are we Care, neither are we." Elena sighed and sat next to her friend. Caroline offered her arms out and she placed Miranda in them. Elena stretched her arms out and leaned back on the pillows. The room was silent for a few moments before Damon stood up and walked to the door.

"Well it was nice seeing you Sophie," He said sarcastically and held open the door. Taking the hint, Sophie walked towards the open door. Before she left, she turned to Elena and offered a weak smile.

"I wouldn't worry too much." She said calmly. "We'll keep her safe." Elena nodded and smiled in response as the witch walked out of the door. A million thoughts raced through her head as she processed what would happen when Klaus showed up. Would he want her back? Does he legally get custody? Can vampires even legally fight for custody?

Finally, she stood up, breaking the silence. "We're going to the park. Because we're going to pretend we have a normal family and a normal child."

Caroline was busy making Miranda laugh. "Do you want to go to the park?" She cooed to the little girl. Damon shrugged and grabbed his keys. He knew not to argue with Elena when she was overthinking.

Miranda giggled as Elena grabbed her from Caroline and they piled into her car. She grabbed a diaper bag full of blood bottles in the fridge.

"Oh yes," Damon pulled the corners of his mouth up in a smile as he watched her pack the bottles of blood like it was the most normal thing in the world. "We are a normal family."

"Shut up, Damon." Elena punched him playfully in the shoulder. She wrapped an arm around his waist. "I think we're perfect."

They pulled up to the park and the three of them piled out with little Miranda sleeping in Elena's arms. "Wake up baby girl," She whispered to her and brushed her hair out of the child's face. Miranda yawned and buried her face back in Elena's shoulder.

"Aw, she's so shy," Caroline giggled and ran a hand over her little head. "She's so unlike this at home."

"That's because we're the only ones she sees." Damon said, locking the door. "She's as

social as a mental patient."

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just compare our child to a mental patient." Elena walked towards the playground where little children were running around everywhere.

"She's only just starting to walk," He slid on some sunglasses and wrinkled his nose as he surveyed the park. "What is she going to even do here?"

"We," She grabbed Damon's hand and looked to Caroline as well. "Are going to go play in the sandbox. Then on the swings. There's tons she can do, Damon, she's just never been to the park before."

With a sigh from Damon, the group made their way over to the large sandbox. There were benches on the side for the parents, and Damon immediately took a seat on one of the empty ones. Caroline and Elena found an empty area and they plopped themselves down with a bucket that was left there.

"Miranda," Elena sang to the little girl in a high pitched baby voice. "Do you want to play in the sand?" The one year old looked at her and then to Caroline in curiosity with big brown eyes.

"Yes, Sand," Caroline grinned back and ran some sand through her fingers, making Miranda smile. She gurgled and a word similar to sand came out.

"Yay!" Elena and Caroline clapped happily. Her first word had been Mama, and then No, followed by Dada. Although the second word showed promise of a defiant little kid, just like her father, she was overjoyed that her first and third had referred to Elena and Damon as her parents.

She looked up and saw Damon groan but noticed the grin that he couldn't hide. She smiled and shared a mischievous glance with Caroline. In one nod of the head, they both took one of Damon's arms and pulled him in the sand next to Miranda, who laughed hysterically.

"Fu-" He almost cursed but caught his breath. "Fudge, I hate you guys so much." He laughed, but kissed Elena on the nose. At the same time, he threw some sand at Caroline, who squealed and threw some back.

A snooty looking mother walked up and clicked her tongue to the roof of her mouth dramatically. "I'm not sure if you're aware, but there is a no sand-throwing policy for the children. It's expected the adults set an example." She gave them all sarcastic looks. Damon looked to Elena and was about to apologize when Caroline stood up.

"Look lady," She started, with a typical Caroline voice that closely resembled the woman's. "If your children are smart, they won't take after Vampires," She smirked, revealing her fangs as the blood rushed to her eyes, making the blonde beauty turn terrifying. The lady gasped and took a step back, her hand rushing to her heart. Caroline stopped and widened her eyes, connecting her dilating pupils with the woman's.

"But you don't know what we are," She compelled her. "You're just going to go over there and buy my niece some ice cream. And not give us another problem."

The lady nodded and smiled at the group, spinning on her heels towards the snack stand. Caroline did the same, but towards the sandbox, sitting back down. Damon raised his eyebrows at her and Elena just hit her shoulder.

"Unnecessary," Elena hissed, scolding her slightly. She glanced over at the woman, wondering if she should compel her to stop, but the ice cream was already bought. She sighed and looked down at Miranda, whose own eyes were dilating, as if trying to compel her adoptive mother. Elena smiled and looked up at Damon, who smirked proudly at his daughter.

"She's already trying to get her way." Caroline giggled.

"Just like her father." A new voice rang from the distance. The three of them turned around to face the english accent that trilled towards them.

"Klaus," Elena murmured quietly, and Damon quickly picked up Miranda, who chose that opportune moment so say, "Dada."

* * *

_Sorry for the mega-long time skip, it was just so much easier to have Miranda nearly walking and saying words. This chapter was super fun to write, and now, the plot thickens ;) all of you Klaroline fans, hang with me. Things will look up for you guys!_

_Anyway, tell me what you think of this chapter! Anything you don't get, don't like, want more of? Tell me in a review and I'll keep it in mind as I write the next chapter! Sorry they're taking a bit longer, I've been busy with riding._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Okay a few things first! Thanks for so many great reviews, as you can see, I definitely take any suggestions into consideration and I've included some in this chapter. So please, leave any advice and ideas you have!**

**Second, my plan for this fic is this; I'm going to end it relatively soon, resolving a conflict and then closing it, but fear not! I plan on continuing writing stories with Miranda, Damon, and Elena as a family. Maybe 1 or 2 shots, maybe whole stories, I'm not sure! But once I'm done with this story, it won't be the last you see of them! (I'm also planning another unrelated fic that will be quite interesting as well ;))**

**Alrighty, guys, read on! I hope you like this chapter, kind of slow, but the next few will be more exciting.**

* * *

"That's right sweetheart," Klaus smiled at Miranda and took a step closer. She buried her tiny face into Damon's shoulder. Elena scowled at him. Why now? She thought to herself. Things were going so well. Damon was finally warming up to Miranda. Now Klaus had to come in and- She took a breath and stopped herself. They had no idea what Klaus was here for, right?

No, that wasn't true. Elena had a pretty good idea of what he wanted. He wanted his daughter.

"Stay back Klaus," Caroline warned, and shot him a glare as well. Her bright blue eyes were piercing through him and this took Elena by surprise. There were clearly some past feelings for the man who saved her life so many times.

"What?" He took fake offense to their reaction as a whole; and then he confirmed her suspicions. "I can't come and see my own daughter?" Elena's blood ran cold. She wasn't going to allow this man to come and claim the little girl she had raised from infancy.

"You gave up the right to call her your daughter when you left her after Hayley died." Damon growled, spitting the word daughter out. After they spent a year with her raising her like their own, none of them would even think to allow anyone else to use the word to regard their little girl.

"Think what you'd like," He softened his posture and relaxed his gaze. "We're related by blood and I can still see her when I'd like." He sent a smirk at Elena as she stepped in front of Damon and Miranda defensively.

"Oh come now," He chuckled, taking another step towards the group, making them tense. Any family that decided to spend the day at the park in the sandbox were long gone by now. "Let's show a little more hospitality to your father then, sweetheart." He approached swiftly, appearing next to Elena to get a better look at the upset one year old in Damon's arms.

Elena stiffened and got between them again, shooting a snarl up towards Klaus. Catching the stares from the other parents around the park, she straightened into a less defensive pose and spoke calmly, but a waver in her voice was still audible. "Klaus, I think it's time you left. I'm sure you can find a motel around here, but we need to go home." She finished stiffly through bared teeth. "Miranda needs her nap." Right on cue, the baby girl yawned and whimpered softly. The poor thing was going to start crying any second, Elena thought. She's tired and scared. The thought of her baby scared like this made her blood boil, but she calmly turned away, knowing Caroline would keep an eye on Klaus as they headed back to the car.

"Very well," Klaus called after them, smiling devilishly. "I'll come by tomorrow. I do have an eternity after all. Caroline," He turned to the blonde vampire. "A word."

Caroline looked to Damon and Elena hoping for some support, but Elena said nothing and Damon nodded his head towards Klaus. "You heard him blondie," Then he lowered his voice. "Distract him, will you?"

She groaned and huffed over to him, cursing under her breath as Elena and Damon got into the car and drove off. Elena turned back around, realising her friend's predicament. Maybe they shouldn't have left her with a dangerous original... "How is she going to get home?"

"I'm sure Klaus will get her home," Damon muttered, seeming to be concentrating way too hard on a road he'd taken hundreds of times. The car was silent for a few minutes as Miranda was falling asleep in the car-seat.

"What are we going to do," Elena murmured, her forehead creased, displaying her worry. The fact Klaus was in Mystic Falls alone made her nervous, but him wanting to actually come in contact with her daughter made her sick to her stomach.

Damon sighed and turned onto the street. "We could run," He offered distantly.

Elena dismissed the idea with a sharp shake of her head. "No way," She said firmly, looking away from him. "I'd stay and fight him if I had to." And she meant it. Even as a vampire, her motherly instincts were strong and she would stop at nothing to keep her child safe.

The muscles in his jaw tensed as he kept his focus on the road in front of him. She knew he also wanted to keep her safe. Scratch that, he wanted to keep both of them safe; her and Miranda. Elena's heart leapt for him. After all he'd had to cope with, his love growing for Miranda, and now he had to figure out a way just to keep her with him.

"Hey," She placed a hand comfortingly on his tense arm. "We'll figure this out. No fighting." She smiled at him in a teasing way. "I promise."

His stare relaxed a little and a hint of a smirk played on his lips as they pulled into the driveway of the boarding house. Elena lifted Miranda gingerly and placed her over her shoulder as not to wake her, but in a flash Damon was at her side opening the car door to reach for the little girl.

Elena smiled gratefully and handed off the sleeping one year old to him and stretched her arms as she stepped out of the car. She yawned and followed them into the house. Once they had wordlessly trekked up the staircase, they placed Miranda in the crib and Elena pulled it close to the bed.

"So we can keep a better eye on her," She explained, needlessly at that. Damon nodded understandingly and brushed a curl off of the baby's face. Elena collapsed on the bed in exhaustion and snuggled into the covers. She patted the area next to her, motioning for Damon to come closer. In a heartbeat, she was wrapped in his arms and listening to her daughter's steady breaths.

Just as she began to drift off to sleep, her eyes fluttered open in alarm. "Her birthday's in a few days," She murmured to Damon, who sleepily nodded.

"Caroline has something planned," He slurred quietly. "We'll do something special when this is all over."

Elena rolled over and faced the ceiling, somewhat content. "Okay," She sighed, and with that, her eyelids fell sleepily and she fell into a deep sleep as she listened to her daughter's breathing.

Elena stirred to the afternoon light and the fidgeting of Miranda in the crib next to her. They'd only napped for a few hours, but she felt completely refreshed. Turning over to search for the raven hair and crystal blue eyes that normally greeted her after waking up, she discovered Damon had already left the bed.

Her fingers curled around the empty space next to her, and with a sigh, she sat up and looked down at Miranda, who was just beginning to squirm in the crib. With one swift movement, she was by the crib and stroking her girl's cheek, waking her up all the way. A small yawn escaped the baby's mouth and Elena scooped her up easily. She cradled her for a moment gingerly, and then bobbed her on her hip softly making her giggle. "Let's go get something to eat, baby," She murmured in her ear.

Just then did she notice Damon standing in the doorway smiling at them both. He had a bottle of blood in one hand, and a blood bag in the other. Elena grinned at him and motioned for him to sit down. She handed Miranda off to him and took the blood bag gratefully.

"I'm starved," She admitted, sucking on the opening in pleasure. Once she'd finished, she took back Miranda and the bottle to allow Damon to shower up before dinner.

"Damn!" She cursed aloud. "Caroline and Jeremy are supposed to be over for dinner."

He shrugged from the bathroom.

"Takeout?" He tried, and snorted indignantly when Elena shot him a look from the bed. "Come on, Elena we've known these people all our lives. Or all your lives at least." He nodded to both Elena and Miranda. "I think they'll understand under the circumstances."

"We never cook that nice for them," She muttered, disappointed. The past dinners that they had hosted had consisted of either pizza, chinese food, or something from a box. "You're such a great cook."

She thought of things to make and then perked up. "Oh! I know, I can make the Gilbert's Chili recipe."

Damon groaned and shot her a pained expression. "Fine, I'll cook something, I'll cook something." He assured her quickly. "But please, not the chili."

Elena tried to stifle her laugh, but a giggle slipped out as she tried to glare at him. That made Damon laugh too and pretty soon, they were both chuckling happily. The smile vanished from her face though, as she remembered the conflict that had recently plagued their lives.

"Klaus," She looked down at Miranda nervously.

"Hey," Damon came over and put a hand reassuringly on her shoulder, his icy blue eyes gazing into hers. His breathtaking features made her freeze for a moment. "Forget about that for now. Why don't we go down and cook something up really nice, huh?" He offered a smile down at her. Elena relaxed a little. She felt safe with Damon, and whenever he was close it was easy to forget her troubles. But still, the thought of Klaus.

An hour later, the warm spiced smell of lasagna was radiating from the open oven. Elena smiled and poured some more cheerios on Miranda's high chair tray, watching happily as the one year old picked up each piece with the most concentrated expression.

Damon placed the still hot meal on the table and set a salad nearby. He was reaching for the alcohol when Elena crossed her arms. "Not tonight," She pleaded. "Don't give Jeremy any ideas."

Damon rolled his eyes and reached for something lighter. "He's not a little kid, Elena, he can do what he wants." He placed both the hard and light stuff on the table defiantly and gave her a smirk. "Should I remind you the alcohol you'd had when you were his age?"

He had a point, she thought. It was only a few years ago that Elena had been drunk out of her mind at a bar with Damon. She remembered the sober portions of it well, but the bar scene had been a blur after the first several shots. She smiled sheepishly and picked Miranda out of the high chair.

"I'm going to go give her a bath," She said, changing the topic quickly. Damon nodded and gave them both a kiss on the forehead.

When she got Miranda in the baby tub, she poured some soap on her fine brown hair, spiking it up playfully. She laughed to herself and squeaked a bath toy to make Miranda giggle. She rinsed off the baby and wrapped her carefully in a fluffy pink towel that had been given by Caroline.

"Look at you, cutie," She smiled at her little girl and dried her all the way off before slipping on a small dress and sandals. In her hair, which was already beginning to dry, she clipped on a little flower to match.

"Mama," Miranda giggled, and Elena beamed. "Yes, mama," It still made her overjoyed to hear her say it. Sometimes, she thought that Miranda would know that she wasn't her birth mother. But that was silly; Elena was all the little girl ever knew.

Some voices rang from downstairs and Elena listened in carefully. She detected one for sure, Damon. Then the other was Caroline, then Jeremy, and-

No.

Her heart dropped into her stomach and her eyes narrowed in anger. Klaus was with them.

The english accent echoed throughout the filled the house with a serious air. Taking a breath, Elena scooped up Miranda and walked slowly down the steps. Once they turned into the kitchen, all eyes were on them.

Caroline pursed her lips angrily but managed them a half-hearted smile. Damon looked annoyed and Jeremy was filled with hatred for the man that smiled down at Elena's baby.

"We had an unexpected guest." Damon flared his blue eyes angrily.

"That's allright," Elena addressed Damon but didn't take her eyes off of Klaus. "We have enough food to go around."

Miranda buried her head into Elena's neck out of shyness from all of them; not only from Klaus. He took a few steps towards them and they all froze in place, watching his every move. With a steady hand, he brushed away a curl from Miranda's face as she whimpered softly.

"Can I hold her?" He asked, reaching his hands out expectantly. Elena was just about to refuse immediately when he continued. "She should get the chance to know her father."

Jeremy was about to take a step forward to stop him, but Caroline utilized her vampire strength to keep him back with a single hand. She shook her head at him, and he backed off, leaning against the wall in anger.

Elena narrowed her eyes suspiciously but slowly handed the little girl off to him. Every muscle in her body tensed, ready to spring at him if he tried anything. Part of her knew he wouldn't; she was his daughter after all. But her motherly instincts told her to be careful. When a strange man holds your baby girl, there's all the reason to be afraid.

Miranda whined as she squirmed a little in Klaus's arms, and then spotted Damon out of the corner of her eye. "Dada," She reached for him. Klaus made the connection and rage flashed in his eyes for a moment. Caroline tried to hide a smile as Elena grabbed Miranda back as quickly as she could.

Klaus marched up to her. "What was that for?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"You seemed mad," Elena explained calmly, turning her back to Klaus in order to shield her child. "I didn't want you to hurt her."

"Hurt her?" He fumed. "I would never hurt her, she's my daughter! I can't even come see my own child without..." He trailed off and turned to Damon, who had his arms crossed defensively.

"And you..." Klaus continued, turning his rage towards him. "You will never be her father! I don't care if I have to stay in Mystic Falls, the girl WILL know me as her father."

Damon smiled smugly at him, glaring at him through narrowed eyes. "You can try all you want Klaus. But you'll never get the first year of her entire life back."

Klaus snarled at them and stormed towards the door.

Damon smiled coyly at him. "But her birthday party's next week, and you're more than welcome to attend as a guest."


	6. Chapter 6

_**Warning, super short chapter ahead!**_** Lol sorry guys! This chapter is just a filler though, the next chapter will be her party and things will go from there. I promise the next chapter will come soon though, lots of fluff. I do have finals, and that's another reason I'm putting this up. I figured a short chapter is better than nothing! Enjoy what's there (hehe) and thanks so much for all your fantastic reviews! They make my day!**

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Chapter 6

"Why would you do that?" Caroline shrieked once the door slammed shut. "You're going to ruin my party!"

"You mean Miranda's party?" Damon spoke calmly, unfazed by the eccentric blonde vampire throwing a hissy fit in the room. "He was going to show up anyway. I just gave him a formal invitation." He smiled and Elena pressed the bridge of her nose between her fingers. She was hoping for a party sans biological father who happened to be an original vampire.

"Alright, look," Jeremy sat up from leaning against the wall and walked over to them. "What's the worst he could possibly do? He's here for a reason, and it's clearly not to do any damage other than to meet his daughter."

They looked at him in shock. "The same man who killed your sister." Caroline said

dryly. "You think he's going to simply enjoy watching that little girl have fun at a birthday party?"

Damon shrugged. "Baby Gilbert's got a point," He walked over to the drinks and sipped some borbon. "Besides, one wrong move and he's out. We'll get Elijah to come as well. He seemed very concerned about Miranda when he asked Elena to be her mother."

Elena thought about this for a minute. Elijah coming as well, Klaus would be hesitant to cause any trouble. Maybe he'd leave if he saw his protective brother.

"Fine." She decided. "He'll come. But now, I want to forget about this and move on." She put Miranda in her high chair and started cutting up some potato bits to feed to her. Everyone else soon joined her, and they ate the rest of their meal, even Caroline, in silence.

After dinner, Caroline and Elena were sitting at the kitchen table, planning for Miranda's party. The boys, however, were sitting on the couch and enjoying a football game. Miranda was sitting in Damon's arms, quite contently suckling on a bottle of blood.

"That's actually really gross." Elena heard Jeremy say from the couch.

Damon scoffed. "She can drink from you if you want."

"Don't you dare!" Elena called from the kitchen. "She's not going to learn to drink from humans. You know how much trouble that can put her in?"

Damon chuckled and Jeremy jumped up and pumped the air with his fist at a touchdown.

"So," Caroline lowered her voice, ignoring the men. "Have you and Damon talked about, you know, the 'M' word yet?"

"Marriage?" Elena hissed in shock, their voices only audible between the two of them. "I thought you hated me with him!"

"I do, did." She corrected herself and sighed. "He does make a great father though. And you look so happy with him." She smiled genuinely and looked over at him. He was still watching the game, but Miranda was falling asleep happily in his arms. Elena smiled too. She was glad that her best friend finally accepted her love for him.

"He's great with her, he really is." She brushed her hair behind her ear and swallowed. "But marriage, I, I don't even know, Care." Caroline raised her eyebrows and gave her a look.

"You haven't even talked about it?" Elena shook her head and Caroline continued. "Well I'm sure he's at least thinking about it. Anyway," She shook her head, looking back down at some magazines. "I was thinking about purple as the color scheme? I mean pink was a bit too girly, and I clearly couldn't go with blue or green,"

As the blonde rambled on about colors and cakes, Elena's mind wandered around the word. Marriage, she thought. The sound of it was surreal, she was only 20. College was 100% out of the picture, what with a baby and all. But getting married, that would just complete the perfect human family she's always envisioned for her future.

It was Damon, though, that made her think. There were a few times where he'd acted nervous on one of their few times out alone, and shifted with his pocket. She blinked in shock. Was it actually possible? She could never picture Damon even thinking about marriage. All she knew him as was the bad boy that gave up his player status for her. He gave up his player status for her.

Elena toyed with the idea. She realised how much he'd actually given up for her. A few years ago, he'd been out drinking almost every night with Alaric, hitting on random women, and then he just stopped. Elena chose him and she seemed to be the only girl he ever noticed. Then Miranda came and although he was against it at first, he knew it meant a lot to Elena and he became father of the year. Maybe marriage was in their future.

"Elena!" Caroline snapped her back to reality. "As I was saying, I think a two layer cake is good enough, there's only a few people coming."

"Yeah! Yeah." Elena smiled innocently, still in somewhat of a daze. "2 is fine."


	7. Chapter 7

**Plot twist coming up ;D Sooo sorry I haven't updated in, like, years. I was busy with finals then the first few weeks of summer! But I promise to write more and update Resistance soon as well. **

**Happy 4th of July to all my American friends! 'murica **

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Chapter 7

Elena rushed around the house the morning of the party not even thinking about the looming threat of an original hybrid vampire making an appearance.

"Let's go!" Caroline called from the backyard where she was setting up the cake neatly on a table. Damon groaned as he waited for the small moon bounce to blow up. Elena blew her hair out from her eyes and rushed Miranda out of the high chair.

"Sorry, Caroline, but Miranda's been our alarm clock for the past 12 months and apparently she chooses the worst day to hit the snooze." She poked the one year old's stomach playfully and she giggled. Elena smiled happily and walked outside, bringing Miranda over to Damon. He raised an accusatory eyebrow at her and she flashed an innocent smile.

"I have to go help Caroline with the decorations," She nodded towards a scurrying blond vampire and proceeded to look up at him with big brown eyes. "Can you pleeaassee watch her for a little?" He sighed and brushed his raven hair off his face, then held out his arms in defeat. Elena giggled and went on her tiptoes to kiss Damon's nose before handing the squirmy baby girl over.

Caroline smirked at her as Elena ran over to help out. "Ohh, you two are totally going to be together forever." She squealed. Elena rolled her eyes and continued to set out plates and utensils. She looked up at Damon discreetly to see him sitting in the grass with Miranda. He had found a ladybug and placed it on her hand for her.

Caroline sighed beside Elena, taking her by surprise. "Okay, now that's adorable." She was about to respond, when they heard the doorbell ring from the backyard. Damon turned his head quickly, and the thought of Klaus popped into Elena's head as well. Caroline brushed herself off and took a stress-relieving breath before walking towards the door. Elena followed her inside and looked back at Damon in the backyard, who had picked up Miranda defensively. Caroline opened the door slowly.

Elena blew out all of the air in her lungs in relief.

"Hi, is this the party for Miranda?" A lady with brown hair bobbed a girl around Miranda's age on her hip, with a gift bag in the other hand. Damon had walked in and smiled curtly at the lady, who got a dreamy look in her eye as she caught sight of the gorgeous man in front of her.

"Yes, Ms. Morris, you and Sara can follow me out back," Elena said a little too sweetly, jealousy wrapped around her words. She turned to walk out the door and the lady followed her slowly, keeping an eye on Damon. He smirked and shook his head as he handed Miranda to Caroline and walked into the kitchen.

"The party ends at seven so you can come back around then to get Sara." Elena said once they were all on the back patio overlooking the party area. She took a step towards the woman and looked straight up into her eyes, her pupils dilating rapidly.

"And let's be clear. The tall blue-eyed man you're drooling over? Yeah, he's mine." She spun around quickly to take Miranda from a shocked Caroline and put her in a playpen with Sara. Still in a daze, Ms. Morris turned around and walked towards the door, completely ignoring Damon as he made his way towards the girls with a drink in hand.

"Uh, I think you need some of this." He handed Elena his drink. She took it and gulped a mouthful before giving it back. "I thought she was your friend?" He asked her as she pressed the bridge of her nose between her fingers and sighed.

"She is. I'm just stressed right now, okay? An original hybrid is going to walk through that door any minute and the original meant to make sure everything runs smoothly is running a bit late." She muttered sarcastically.

"Actually I'm right on time." Elena let out a relieved breath.

"Thank God," Caroline muttered. Damon nodded to him politely as Elijah walked over to the playpen. He smiled down at Miranda in a wise kind of way, and the toddler looked up at him and giggled as she played with a ball in the grass.

The doorbell rang again and they tensed up, all except for Elijah. "My brother is running late. You have another human guest at the door."

Caroline walked more calmly towards the front of the house and Elena turned to Elijah. "Thank you for coming," She said quietly, her eyes drifting down to her daughter. "I just don't know how this is going to go."

"My pleasure." Elijah nodded, keeping his calm gaze on Elena. "I'm glad she's in such good care."

It took a while until Caroline came back to the yard with an annoyed look on her face. In her arms was a squirmy one year old boy who she quickly disposed of in the playpen.

"His mom wanted to stay," She explained. "I tried to reason with her but I just ended up compelling her."

"That's all the humans that are coming?" Elijah said rather urgently, closing his eyes as if concentrating.

"Yes, all but my brother and Matt. Why?" Elena asked. He turned to look at her slowly before taking a breath.

"Because I think my brother has arrived."

The four of them waited patiently until a knock at the door sent their eyes drifting around as to who would answer it.

"I'll go," Elena said shortly, and walked inside the house towards the front door. She opened it to see Klaus standing with a smile on his face.

"Hello, love," He said smoothly, pushing past her to walk inside, she followed him stiffly to the backyard where he stopped at the sliding door.

"Tell me," He spoke to her while glaring outside. "Why is my brother here?"

"He was invited." She said, brushing by him to walk onto the patio. He walked after her smirking. "Remember, love, I was invited too."

They stood in complete silence as Klaus moved over to the playpen, his eyes set on Miranda. A smile played at his lips and he looked back up at the group's glares.

"What?" He chuckled softly. "You really think I'm going to try to take her?" Damon and Elena shared a look.

"Honestly, I'm the least of your problems." He stood up to face them.

"What do you mean?" Caroline asked suspiciously, taking a step forward. He smiled at the sight of her, but his face dropped as he seemed to realize something. He turned to Elijah. "You don't know either, brother?"

"No, truthfully I'm as clueless as the rest of them. Niklaus what are you not telling us?"

"It's the witches." Klaus looked to all of them in complete seriousness. "They are planning to take Miranda."

Elena's heart dropped into her stomach and her mouth fell. Damon rushed over to Miranda and scooped her up, looking at Klaus in anger.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He asked through gritted teeth. He turned to Elijah. "You said the witches were helping us!"

Elijah looked between Klaus and Damon. "Well, I certainly had no idea this was going on. Niklaus, are you sure?"

"They said it was something about her future. They wanted to," Klaus fumbled over the next words. "experiment."

Elena barely heard the next words. Her head was pounding and she frantically looked around. Carolines words to her were muffled.

"Elena! Are you okay?"

"Yeah," She responded breathlessly, shaking her head and walking over to Damon and Miranda. She brushed her daughter's hair out of her face and turned to realise everyones eyes were on her.

"Anyway," Klaus continued, nodding at the one year old. "That's the whole reason I was coming. To help protect her."

The click of shoes on the pavement made Elena turn to see more guests on the patio. Matt shifted awkwardly, looking to Jeremy, who was shooting Klaus a suspicious glare.

"Now why does everyone think I'm the bad guy!" Klaus turned and looked to them incredulously.

"You have a history." Caroline reminded him snarkily. Jeremy and Matt walked over.

"What's going on?" Jeremy asked, continuing to stare Klaus down.

"We have a problem." Damon squinted around the sunny backyard. He quickly turned to Elena. "Didn't you invite Sophie and a few other witches?"

She nodded slowly. As if on cue, several people appeared at the back door. Sophie smiled sweetly and turned to the other witches, who murmured something in chant. A searing pain struck Elena and she fell to the floor along with the others.

"Sorry Elena," Sophie said, and approached her slowly. "But this needed to be done."

Her vision was blurred from pain. The next thing she saw was one of the witches lifting Miranda out of the playpen, while the other subdued Jeremy and Matt. Then her vision went black.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Sorry for being M.I.A guys! Summer's been so busy :/ kinda sucks but I'm glad I'm not bored. So this is chapter 8! Not very long, but I really wanted to get this out there. KLAROLINE SCENE AHEAD YAY! This won't be the last of them, don't worry, but this also isn't a Klaroline fic, so work with me guys! hehe read, review, and follow! Reviews make me write faster and better ;D **_

_**But like I said earlier, my plans are to basically finish this and then write some one shots with Damon/Elena/Miranda from the previous year. Enjoy the chapter!**_

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Elena's eyes fluttered open and she jumped up with a start as Jeremy and Matt nudged her awake. She looked around the yard for any traces of her daughter, but all that was left was the two other toddlers in the playpen.

"Damon!" She shreiked, tears welling up in her eyes. She shook him awake. "Damon, she's gone, they took her, the witches they-" Her sobs choked her off as she paced the yard nervously. Damon looked around in shock, his mouth hanging slightly ajar.

"Dammit!" He yelled, breaking a table out of anger as he realized Miranda was gone. Caroline, Klaus and Elijah woke up and looked confused as well, but realization soon seeped onto their faces.

"We have to find her," Klaus growled through gritted teeth. "Now. We have no idea what they're planning on doing with her."

"Here's my question," Caroline snapped towards his direction. "Why the hell did you wait this long to be worried about this?!"

Klaus looked at her in annoyance with a thinning patience. "I assumed we'd have a bit more time, Love."

"You go," Matt nodded to Damon and Elena. "Me and Jer will get the kids home." Jeremy was about to object, but Elena cut him off.

"Thank you," She said quickly, and followed Damon inside to grab keys. Caroline got into the car with them and Elijah and Klaus took Elijah's. Damon drove off quickly and whipped out his cell, pressing buttons rapidly.

"Where are we going?" Elena snifled, swiping tears from her eyes.

"New Orleans." He replied shortly, his eyes remaining focused on the blur of a road in front of him.

She felt a hand brush her arm and she turned around to see Caroline smiling weakly at her. "Hey," She said softly. "We'll find her."

I nodded slightly, and turned back around, looking at Damon again. His brow was creased anxiously and his knuckles were white on the steering wheel. He caught her eye and sighed nervously, accelerating the car to the airport.

"I need five tickets on the soonest plane to New Orleans." Elijah said quickly, compelling the lady at the check in desk.

There was a man behind us who groaned audibly. "The sign says pre-purchased tickets only, people, can't you read?" Caroline and Elena whipped around, shooting him a death glare. The man shut up, no compulsion needed. The woman handed Elijah some slips of paper and they made a run for security. Elena and Caroline's expressions showed worry more than anything, but the men in their party were fuming.

Everyone stepped out of their way, and they made it onto the flight just in time. Elijah slipped into the seat next to a middle-aged woman whose eyes bugged out as soon as she laid eyes on him. He smiled and nodded curtly towards her, then turned to face the seat in front of him calmly.

Damon had found two seats where he and Elena sat down, but the only two seats left on the plane where Klaus took a seat. He looked up at Caroline expectantly.

She groaned and rolled her eyes. "Sorry, love, you want the window seat?" His tone was serious, but there was a playful smile teasing at his lips.

"You're choosing now to be charming?" She said sarcastically, taking a seat and crossing her arms. "In case you haven't noticed, we're kind of in a crisis right now!"

He shook his head slowly. "No, I'm being completely serious." He picked up a magazine that was sitting in the seat in front. Ten minutes passed before Caroline opened her mouth to say something.

"Can't take the silence any longer, sweetheart?" Klaus interrupted her without looking up. She ignored him and continued softly. "Why do you care?"

His gaze drifted to meet her's and he sighed, putting down the magazine. "Care about what?" She didn't answer, so he looked towards the ceiling and closed his eyes as if thinking of something to say.

"Isn't it obvious, Caroline? I care because I'm trying. I'm trying to be a part of her life, trying to redeem myself. For you."

Caroline slumped back against the seat and shook her head slowly. "You're trying to be a father, for me?" She sounded incredulous. He nodded and looked back out the window. Caroline looked at him out of the corner of her eye and pursed her lips. For once, she had nothing to say.

"I'm worried about her Caroline." He said weakly. "She is my daughter. I do care about her."

She remained silent, but placed a hand over his, providing a sympathetic look. He offered a smile in return and they completed the rest of the trip to New Orleans in silence.

Once the plane landed, the four of them booked it out of the plane and attempted to get through the wave of slow-moving tourists as fast as possible. They finally made it out the doors, and Klaus led the way over to a man who was standing defensively by a car. As he noticed them approach, he loosened up a bit, and handed a set of keys to Klaus. With a curt nod, he dismissed the strange man, and like that he was gone. Elena looked up at Klaus questioningly, but he spoke before she could even ask. "I know people here, I asked a favor of... someone."

The way he said the word "someone" was odd. It was almost as if he was going to refer to them as a friend. But they all piled in the car quickly and, with Klaus driving, they soon pulled up to a small pub. Inside, a dark man was sipping some alcohol at the bar. He was surrounded by other strong looking men, and this set Elena at an immediate unease. The group of men turned to look at them with stone-hard glares, and several even stood up to form a more defensive position.

The dark man in the center of it all set his drink down and turned to look at Klaus, who shared an equally chilling gaze. "Marcel," He said icily through his teeth.

"Klaus." Marcel replied, his eyes shifting to each one of their small group. "You called, I answered and serviced you with a ride. What are you here for?"

"Yes thank you for that," Klaus replied quickly, impatient with the man before him. "I am in need of your help. You see, my daughter has been taken by the Witches."

At the sound of this, Marcel's mouth contorted into a kind of half smile. He looked to one of his bodyguards and shared a chuckle with him before turning back to Klaus. "The same Witches who you once helped in attempting to overthrow me?"

Klaus closed his eyes in frustration. "Shall we do this the easy way, mate, or the hard way? Either or I am in no mood to deal with your petty grudges."

"Seriously, man," Damon stepped towards Marcel, growling slightly. "What do those bitches want with my daughter?" Elijah sighed, but remained silent, and Klaus's coy grin twisted into a grimace.

"Ah. Am I sensing some fathership issues?" Marcel looked to Damon, then to Elena, who had placed a hand on his arm in attempts to keep him from doing anything stupid. "I see." He sneered, turning to Klaus once again. "You gave the girl to those two to raise. Couldn't handle being the father that Mikael was to you?"

Something in Klaus snapped at that moment, and he lunged at Marcel. The minions around him sprang into action as well, snarling as they went for his attacker. Elijah groaned and began ripping hearts out of each vampire that attacked. Damon, Caroline, and Elena all remained still, looking on in shock as the Original single-handedly took out an entire group of vampires. Klaus's attention refocused to Marcel, whose sly look was wiped clean and horror was plastered on his face. Elena's own expression was contorted, and Damon took her hand to comfort her. Caroline looked away and bit her lip.

"There now," Klaus continued, pinning Marcel against the wall. "Let's say you help us now."

"Let's try again," Elijah stepped forward, removing a handkerchief from his pocket and wiping the blood from his hand. "Where are the witches and why do they have the baby?"

"In the woods by the swamp closest to the town. There's a stone house," He choked out. "They should be there. They don't want the baby to live anymore, but they can't kill it. They- they think it's a danger to the balance of nature." Elena let out a shriek and Damon stared at him in horror.

Klaus released him angrily, but regained composure. Marcel dropped to the ground gasping for breath. He looked up him in fear.

"That's the way it should be." Klaus smirked down at him with authority. "Thanks, mate. Oh, and sorry about your friends."

The four of them left the empty bar quickly, and Caroline spoke up in the silence. "Well, that was-"

"Informative." Klaus interrupted her, smiling. "We know where she is, and that somehow, they aren't able to hurt her." Realizing this, Elena sighed happily, and Damon squeezed her hand. He smiled down at her hopefully.

"We don't know how to stop the witches." Elijah reminded them. "We need to play this smart, brother, those witches are powerful." Klaus was about to respond, when a redheaded girl stepped forward, smiling mysteriously at them.

"Maybe I can help."

"Who the hell are you?" Damon asked defensively. She turned to him slowly.

"I'm Sarah. I used to be a part of Sophie's group. Before her plans were made to attempt to kill the baby." Elena shuddered at the words.

"So, you're a witch?" Caroline asked cautiously. Sarah nodded.

"I'm also your only hope to getting your child back.


End file.
